2016

The European Commission wants to bring about stricter compliance with the waste hierarchy by way of measurable objectives for recycling and a limit on landfill for municipal waste. A new "early warning system" will detect if Member States are likely to miss the targets.

2016

The cepDefault-Index 2016 shows that for a large number of eurozone countries - Finland, Slovenia, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece - falling creditworthiness has become firmly established; a development which sooner or later will result in creditworthiness being lost altogether. Another danger is looming in that many eurozone economies are seeing a diminution of capital stock.

2016

The strategic plan to support energy technology (SET Plan) is to be refocussed on the priorities of the Energy Union. The EU Commission criticises the existing SET Plan for the fact that its technology-specific research support is failing to take sufficient account of the synergies between the various energy technologies. It therefore wants to replace this "technology-specific approach" with an "energy system approach".

2016

The Commission wants to strengthen the internal EU market for capital by 2019. It therefore presents a detailed Action Plan to achieve this aim. It is planning to establish criteria for lending by certain investment funds and to reduce the capital requirements for infrastructure investment. It also wants to revive the European securitisation market and streamline prospectus obligations.

2016

For the first time, in light of the latest developments in Poland, the EU Commission applies what is known as the EU rule of law mechanism. The instrument was introduced in order to supplement the EU's toolbox for protecting common values in the Member States.

2015

The EU wants to strengthen "economic policy coordination, convergence and solidarity" in the eurozone. It therefore proposes the creation of four Unions: an Economic Union, a Financial Union, a Fiscal Union and a Political Union. This cepPolicyBrief deals with the Political Union which covers strengthening parliamentary control in the European Semester, the unified external representation of the eurozone in the IMF and the establishment of a "Treasury".

2015

The EU wants to strengthen "economic policy coordination, convergence and solidarity" in the eurozone. It therefore proposes the creation of four Unions: an Economic Union, a Financial Union, a Fiscal Union and a Political Union. This cepPolicyBrief deals with the Fiscal Union which involves the establishment of a European Fiscal Board and the creation of a "macroeconomic stabilisation function".